Linda Evangelista opened up about her around five years away from the spotlight in a statement posted to Instagram on September 22, where she claimed she’d stepped back for a while after being what she described as “permanently deformed” and “unrecognizable” following a cosmetic procedure that went wrong.
She explained in her somewhat lengthy post that she’d experienced a rare side effect from the fat-reducing procedure CoolSculpting, which claims to “decrease” fat cells. However, Evangelista’s procedure allegedly went the other way and “increased” her fat cells instead, which she claimed left her “brutally disfigured.” Evangelista told fans she’d developed paradoxical adipose hyperplasia (PAH) as a result, which she claimed she had not been “made aware” was a possible side effect before getting the treatment.
The supermodel said she’d already undergone “two painful, unsuccessful, corrective surgeries” to try and fix the botched procedure while telling her followers that PAH had “not only destroyed [her] livelihood” but had also “sent [her] into a cycle of deep depression, profound sadness, and the lowest depths of self-loathing.” She added that she’d “become a recluse” and was preparing a lawsuit as she attempted “to rid [herself] of [her] shame,” as she wants to be able to head out in public again “despite not looking like [herself] any longer.”